Current-motor.



No. 880,509. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

A,- H. DAVIS.- CURRENT MOTOR.

N 2 APPLIOATIO FILED OUT 1 1905 2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

' blades that they ear n orr ro.

CURRE LIT-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 19GB.

Application filed October l2 l905- Serial No. 282.400.

1' b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l ALFRED H. DAVIS; citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (.urrent-Motors, of which the following is .a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of motors that is designed to utilize the force of a body of water in motion such as may be found in arivero'r in a race way and the especial object of the improvements winch form the subject matter of this application is to provide a motor which will utilize in a maximum degree the full force exerted by the moving body of water which is projected against the blades or paddles of the motor.

A further object is to provide for the adjustability of theblades so that they can be adapted to deep or shallow water as may be desired and also to brace the blades so that they will effectively resist the pressure of the water.

An additional object to so arrangethe will take the water quickly at the front end of the. motor thus increasing the eiliciency of the apparatus.

Other objects of general utility in the construction and arrangement of my improved apparatus will be apparent to those skilled in the art and need not be specifically mentioned.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part ol this application:Figure is a side elevation of a motor constructed according to my invention. one of the supporting floats being removed; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the motor complete; Fig. is a detail 011 an enlarged scale showing the method of adjustably supporting the main driven shafts and adjacent parts and the means for turning the paddles from inoperative to operative position; Fig. el is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3 and in addition thereto portions of the paddles; Fig. 5 is a frogmentary detail of a paddle and its brace; Fig. 6 is a plan view of a sect-ion of the drive chain which forms an important element of my invcntion.

Referring to the drawings in detail A, A represent two floats which are constructed with pointed ends and arc placed ripart and suitably connected and braced by cross their ad usted positions.

beams a. 'lhcse floats are adapted to be pass through openings in the boxes the for-.

mer bearing on the upper side of the block, and the latter against the lower side, so that when set said bolts hold the blocks firmly in Hanger plates e are bolted to the inner face of the blocks 6 The blocks e are channeled to receive'tlie blocks e so they will slide vertically. J our naled in the blocks e are shafts e on which are mounted the chain carrying sprocket Wheels E. Connected with the inner faces of the blocks e and depending therefrom are plates 6 which are adapted to lie closely to theirmer sides of the floats and have secured to then lower ends the channel bars F.

The shafts E may be connect-ed respectively with any power transmitting device.

B represents generally'my improved endless driving chain which is composed of a plurality of parallel that links 6, 7), which are connected together and mounted on shafts c and (1, said shafts passing through suitable openings in the ends of the links. On the outer end of the shafts c and d are rotatably mounted. rollers l) and on the shafts c which alternate with the shafts d are fixed gears l). -Surrounding the shafts d where they pass through the links I) are collars I) which serve as journals for antifrictional bearings for said shafts and are adapted to fit loosely the forked ends c of the sprocket wheels E. Similar collars b are mounted on the shaft 0. liotat-ably mounted on the shaft 0 are collars 0 formed with flanges in which are formed slots 1:. Passing through said slots are bolts c which serve to secure the paddles C to said collars as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The paddles or blades C are preferably curved as shown and have fixed tothcir rear side near their lower edge lugs c in which is pivotally secured abrace rod 1) which extends rearwardly and upwardly from the paddle and passes through a sleeve (Z rotatably mounted on the chain shaft d. This sleeve is recessed to receive a coil spring d which is adapted to receive the thrust of a set collar (Z mounted on the rod 1) thus cushioning against the upper pressure of said rod. 011 the outer end of the rod is a set collar d which prevents the rod from sliding out of the sleeve al The collar d may be set at any position desired along the rod D thus permitting adjustability in the angle at which the paddles C are held when in operation. The slotted extensions on the collars permit adjustment of the paddles on the said collars and thus control the depth atextend into the water dii'ierent depths thus presenting the maximum surface to the action oi the current. In order to facilitate the turning oi the paddles irom the inoperative position which they automatically as;

sume when on the upper side of sprocketwheels, the rack, b will engage the pinions I) and by turning the latter will raise the paddles from their horizontal position to their normal operative position so that they will at once receive theimpact of the current as soon as entering the stream. Through the adjustable blockse I am able to vary the degree of submergence of the paddles as a whole, and with them the channel guides F and the supporting standards I) and b all oi which are rigidly secured together.

it will be obvious that'various modifications may be made in the details of construction of this apparatus without departure from the essential features of my invention which will be embodied in my claims.

It will also be apparent that this apparatus may be anchored in a stream where it will-receive the impact of the current and convert it into power for driving any device or machine, or it ,inay'fori'n a paddle wheel for a boat and be driven by the current when the boat is traveling in the direction. of the current or by'an engine on the boat when it is traveling against the current, in thislatter case constituting a driven paddle wheel instead of a driving wheel. v 4

' Having thus described my inve what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In an apparatus of the class described, suitable supports, shafts adiustably mounted in said supports, sprocket wheels on said. shafts, endless chains arranged to travel on said wheels, paddles adjustably and pit italiy mounted on said chainf braces adju ly and pivotally connected with said chain and pivotally connected with said paddles, substantially as set forth.

2. An apparatus including suitable supports, shafts adjustably mounted in said. sup-- ports, sprecliet wheel. on the shafts, endless chains arranged. to travel on said wheels, paddles adjustably and pivotally mounted on said chain, braces. adjustably and pivotally connected with said chain and. pivotally connected. with said paddles, cushioning; means for receiving the end thrust of said braces, and means for feathering said pad+ dies substantially in the manner and. for the purpose described.

3. In an apparatus of the class described,

supports, shafts adjustably mounted on said supports, sprocl'et wheels mounted on said shafts, endless chains arranged to travel on said wheels, said chains comprising links and cross bars connecting said links, collars rotatably mounted on said cross-bars, paddles adjustably secured to the alternate collars, braces pivotally secured to the intervening collars and pivotally'connected with-said;-

paddles, cushioning means arranged in said brace collars and adapted to receive the thrust of said braces, and means for feathering said paddles substantially in the manner and for tne purpose described.

In testimony whereof. I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALFRED H. DAVIS.

lVitness'es:

111 DeLos HIGMAN, F. BENJAMIN. 

